Today, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) and the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner released the ninth annual Rhode Island Health Plans’ Performance Report (2006). This report analyzes the two largest health plans that together covered more than 79% of Rhode Islanders who were commercially insured in 2006. Each of the commercial insurers was evaluated in 32 separate measures covering eight dimensions of performance as well as being compared to other commercial insurers in New England.
According to the report, some aspects of quality for the two commercial insurers improved from 2005; however, when compared to other New England health plans, their relative performance was not as favorable.
“This report continues HEALTH’s role as a key provider of healthcare performance information,” said Director of Health David R. Gifford, MD, MPH. “This report demonstrates that health plan practices do have an impact on performance and helps to define specific areas within the healthcare system that may need attention.”
This report is available on HEALTH’s website. Additional reports on hospital costs, clinical performance, community benefits, patient satisfaction and financial performance are also available on this site.